Tag: african union

EUROPE EUROPEAN UNION The European Union is reportedly trying to expand its Libyan concentration camp model to the rest of Africa, but for some reason the African Union is resisting. The EU has an agreement with the Libyan government, such as it is, that allows it to return migrants from Libya, when picked up in … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: February 23-24 2019

ASIA ARMENIA Armen Sarkissian, former prime minister and ambassador, is your new Armenian president. Congrats to him, even though the job has been mostly downgraded to ceremonial levels now. AFGHANISTAN At least two people were killed in Kabul on Friday when a car bomb, apparently targeting a NATO convoy, detonated in the Afghan capital. There's … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: March 2 2018

ASIA PAKISTAN In a real curiosity, the BBC has apparently found three men who still speak Badeshi, an Indo-Iranian language spoken in Pakistan's Bishigram valley that was previously believed to have gone completely extinct three generations ago. Obviously it's still on its way out, but nevertheless it's an interesting story and might mean that linguists … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: February 26 2018

ASIA UZBEKISTAN Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev canned Rustam Inoyatov from his position as head of the country's National Security Service--or, rather, he "promoted" Inoyatov to a presidential advisory position, which is practically the same thing. Inoyatov, along with Mirziyoyev and former Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Azimov, was part of a triumvirate that was expected to … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: January 31 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Monday morning's attack on the Marshal Fahim National Defense University in Kabul left 11 Afghan soldiers dead. ISIS later claimed credit for the attack, which may have been carried out to try to mitigate some of the boost the Taliban gained after its devastating attack in Kabul on Saturday. The Taliban have described … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: January 29 2018

POLLUTION New research into the effect of air pollution on fetal development paints a pretty stark picture: Air pollution significantly increases the risk of low birth weight in babies, leading to lifelong damage to health, according to a large new study. The research was conducted in London, UK, but its implications for many millions … Continue reading World update: December 5 2017

ASIA PAKISTAN Defense Secretary James Mattis visited Pakistan on Monday to call for increased Pakistani cooperation to counter the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network. The Trump administration continues to threaten to cut Pakistani aid unless the military and ISI stop supporting those groups, and all I can say is, good luck with that: “There … Continue reading World update: December 4 2017